Sequence’s Next Generation Health Care Billing Prototype Wins Design and Innovation Challenge at Health 2.0

Agency reveals new prototype service, Clarify, which brings transparency, accuracy and simplicity to health care payment and billing

Sequence reveals new prototype service, Clarify, which brings transparency, accuracy and simplicity to health care payment and billing. (Graphic: Business Wire)

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--()--Sequence announced today that it is a winner of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “A Bill You Can Understand” Design and Innovation Challenge at Health 2.0 today in Santa Clara, California. The design and innovation challenge was sponsored by AARP in collaboration with HHS, with the goal of addressing the complex problems that individuals face when navigating the medical billing process.

Sequence’s submission, a prototype called Clarify, won the award for best Transformational Approach, with a design that went beyond billing and addressed payment as well. The winning entry was designed to bring cost transparency and choice to health care purchases, eliminating financial surprises and empowering people to make more informed decisions. Clarify was one of over 80 submissions evaluated by an advisory panel of design and innovation experts across the health care industry.

The driving force behind the design of Clarify is Sequence’s belief that expectations for user-friendly experiences should be no different for health care transactions than in other aspects of our lives. This belief is based on actual patient experiences as well as original consumer insights from a Sequence survey report published in April.

Clarify aims to connect patients, providers, and payers together in one place, to eliminate the confusion of three-way transactions. This enables consumers to access previously unpublished service fees, giving them a clearer snapshot of their costs and coverage – before service is rendered. They can pay directly through the app at the time of service or they can pay in advance, while scheduling an appointment, another feature of the app. Providers see fewer missed payments, resulting in improved cash flow and better patient relationships. And by reducing paperwork and policy confusion, payers save money and increase customer retention.

“When you’re in pain, the last thing you want to deal with is uncertainty about how much it’s all going to cost,” said Cheryn Flanagan, vice president of customer experience at Sequence. “We took the design and development expertise we’ve established working with retail brands, high tech companies and restaurants and applied it to the complex ecosystem involved in health care financial transactions.”

“When challenged to improve the patient experience of health care bills and finances, we quickly realized the bill was only a symptom of a bigger problem to solve: the way we pay. Patients are consumers and their health care experience needs to catch up and match the world of on-demand, personalized experiences available today,” said Jojo Roy, chief executive officer of Sequence. “Fifty-six percent of patients don’t understand what they will have to pay when they leave the doctor’s office. That’s unacceptable. Clarify’s ability to deliver benefits for patients, care providers and insurance companies and solve the real problem – cost transparency – were the winning ingredients for this prototype service.”

Learn more about Clarify from the submission and accompanying video here.

To contact Sequence regarding the Clarify prototype, email us at hey@sequence.com.

About Sequence

Sequence is an independent agency that designs and develops connected experiences by launching new brands, digital products and service experiences that improve people’s lives and grow businesses. From strategy to design to development, the 75-person Sequence team delivers complete and compelling experiences for the world’s best-known and most innovative companies, including Apple, Chevron, Chipotle Mexican Grill and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. For more information, visit Sequence.com or find us @sequenceSF.

Contacts

104 West Partners for Sequence
Brian Mast, 415-609-8494
brian.mast@104west.com

Contacts

104 West Partners for Sequence
Brian Mast, 415-609-8494
brian.mast@104west.com